This nest was SCCF’s first documented sea turtle nest of 2024 on the islands and the first nest from a leatherback (Dermochelys coriacea) on Sanibel in four years. Its hatching marked the beginning of a cascade of loggerhead nests that are currently hatching on Sanibel and Captiva. During an inventory of the leatherback nest, SCCF biologists and permitted volunteers documented 113 eggs, including 40 emerged leatherback hatchlings.
